Nothing Is Fair In Love And War
by RockNRollGirl7548
Summary: A story about female Warden with Alistair, and how one thing Alistair says could split them apart. Better story than summary :  minor zevran/female warden. Eri is my character on game. Please comment!
1. The Lands Meet

Today is the Lands Meet. Eri, along with the love of her life, Alistair, her best friend Zevran, and her faithful hound, Zero are just outside the doors of where the meeting is taking place. Eri stops from in front of the large double doors and turns to Alistair.

"Are you ready my love?" Alistair asks before Eri could say anything. Alistair watched as Eri's eyes floated from the ground, to his eyes, and back down to the ground again. He just looked at her, taking in her beauty.

She had shoulder length blonde hair, with braids on each side of her face, resting gently against her rosy pink cheeks. Her skin was a very light color and she had outstanding blue eyes. She also had two braids pulled back and tied behind her head, where it they made a beautiful horseshoe shape. On one side of her face was an intricate tattoo that was a bit darker shade than her skin. Beneath her golden blonde hair were pointed ears. Elf ears.

She was from the Alienage. Alistair remembers how the last couple of weeks have been hard on her. Ever since she saw Shianni, or her spirit of some sort when they were trying to get to the Urn of Sacred Ashes, she had been cing every few nights, because she feels she has let everyone in the Alienage down.

Alistair feels bad for his love, he truly did, but it had begun frustrating him. Seeing her this way had made his tolerance for the war wear thin. He doesn't know what's going in this Lands Meet, but he has a feeling it isn't going to be good.

"Alistair…" Eri finally says. Alistair studies her face knowing that something is wrong. She is usually way more confident than this and is never nervous.

"Yeeess?" Alistair asks in his cocky, but caring tone. Eri looks up at him and takes a step closer. "Kiss me… for luck." She looks up at him with her big blue eyes, begging. Alistair just smiles and leans down, puts his hand behnd her head, and kisses her.

"Okay. Okay. Let us go." Zevran says as he looks away and sighs. He liked Eri himself, more than a friend. He did not dare tell her of course, for Alistair would surely make him leave the group, and he really did not want to leave. Eri herself had asked him to stay, when the Crows had found him.

The two finally broke the kiss and looked at Zevran. "I guess you are right." Eri said, "Let's go."

Zero jumped up from where he was laying and went and stood next to Eri. Eri turned and walked towards the door and as she opened the door, she saw Arl Eamon up on an upper floor, looking down and talking to a large crowd of people. Eri listened as he explained what Loghain had done and how he must be stopped. The crowd just clappe as he made his point.

Then a voice was heard from the corner of the room. Loghain made himself known and everyone turned to look at him with shocked, and even fearful faces,

"A fine performance, Eamon. But, no one here is taken in my it. Loghain spat. "You would attempt to put a puppet on the throne and every soul here knows it!"

Eri began to take a step towards him but Alistair grabbed her arm and stopped her, waiting to hear just what Loghain had to say. "The better question is, who will pull the strings?" Eri heard enough. She walked forward, with her three companions trailing closely behind. The crowd moved out of the way, which revealed them to Loghain.

"Aaah! And here we have the puppeteer!" said Loghain as he looked at Eri, checking to see how well armed she was. Loghain continued, "Tell us, Warden: How will the Orlesians take our nation from us? Will they design to send their troops, or simply issue their commands through this would-be prince?"

Eri walked forward mad that he was bringing Alistair into this when he didn't even want to be king. As Eri and her group walked forward, guards blocked her path to Loghain. Loghain would just not shut up.

After several minutes of Loghain, Eri, and other people arguing, and after Anora showed up, Eri and Loghain started fighting.

Eri had beaten him easily. Loghain was on his knees panting, as Eri stood in front of him, victorious. "I underestimated you, Warden. I thought you were like Cailan, a child wanting to play war." Loghain then stood up as he continued talking. "I was wrong. There's a strength in you I haven't seen anywhere since Maric died… I yield."

Without hesitation she said, "You'll die foor what you have done."

From her left, Riordan walked up to her. "Wait! There is another option!" Alistair looked at Riordan, knowing that another option was just not suitable. He must die. Justice must be served.

"The teyra is a warrior and general of renown. Let him be of use. Let him go through the Joining." Eri was surprised to hear Riordan suggest such an idea. "You want me to make him a Warden? Why?" she asked.

As Riordan explained, Alistair got angry at the idea of not bringing Loghain to justice. Anora spoke up after Riordan explained. "The Joining is often fatal, is it not? If he survives you gain a general. If not, you gain your revenge. Doesn't that satisfy you?"

Before Eri could reply, "Alistair butt in, "Absolutely not! Riordan, this man abandoned our brothers and then blamed us for the deed! He hunted us down like animals. He tortured _you_! How can we simply forget that?" Alistair was on the verge of yelling.

"Alistair…" Eri said but was interrupted by Riordan. "You are _not _king Alistair. You do not have the full authority to tell us if he lives or dies!" Alistair was beyond angry now.

Alistair gave a death glare to Riordan and Loghain before replying, "Oh really? If no one is going to listen to me I might as well marry Anora, to see that there is justice done!" Alistair was practically yelling now, and tensions were building in the air.

Arl Eamon walked next to Anora and said, "I am holding you that to you Alistair. In all of Alistair's fury, he did not comprehend what Arl Eamon or himself had said.

When Eri heard what was said, he felt as if someone had kicked her in the gut. Quietly, tears rolled down her eyes as Zevran put his hand on her shoulder. She put her head down, so that her hair somewhat covered the sides of her face, but she didn't need to, all eyes were on Alistair.

Alistair didn't even realize what had just happened as he noticed Anora's shocked face. "Very well then." sighed Riordan.

Riordan walked towards Alistair an handed him his sword. "You do the honors, but be quick about it."

Anora walked over to her father and said her goodbyes, with tears in her eyes. Alistair forward after Anora moved out of the way, and mumbled under his breath, "For Duncan." He swung the sword and blood splattered everywhere, as Loghain's lifeless body fell to the ground. With blood all over his shiny armor, Alistair walked back over to where Arl Eamon was standing.

Anora stands up after leaning over her father's body, wipes the tears and blood off her face, and then walks up in front of the crowd gathered in front of her. Before she says anything, she motions for Eri to come up and stand with her. Eri walks up and faces the crowd with tears in her eyes. No one except her group back at camp knows about her and Alistair.

"And now, lords and ladies of Ferelden, there is still a Blight to defeat, and armies to gather. And I appoint this woman to lead s in both. We will not allow this land to be farther threatened by the Archedeon. Gather your forces and await the Warden's command." Anora's voice rang out through the room, the people listening intently.

"On the morrow, we shall begin our struggle against the greatest threat that Ferelden has ever faced." People from throughout the room started clapping as Anora continued talking.

"And we shall triumph over it, for we are Ferelden!" People were now cheering and clapping, now having a new faith that they can overcome this.

"And with a new King to rule beside me now… We shall protect Ferelden at all costs." When Anora said that, Eri's tears now spilled down her cheeks again, but she did not make a sound. Eri turned to leave, closely followed by Zevran and Zero.

Alistair finally realized what had happened.

_He was to b wedded to Anora whom he can't stand._

He was shocked, but was more scared than anything that he may lose Eri, because of some stupid thing he had said. His eyes scanned the room, looking for her so that he can reassureher that he didn't mean it.

_But all of Ferelden will soon be expecting him to marry Anora._

He finally saw her walking towards the door, a few feet away. Before he could say anything, she stopped walking and tuned towards him and finally faced him, and looked him in the face. He looked into her blue eyes and saw tears falling down her cheeks, like small waterfalls. Beneath the tears he saw hurt, heartbreak, and betrayal. When he saw her, he felt like someone had kicked him in the gut and stabbed him with a knife.

_How could he do that to her?_

"Eri…" he said, not quite knowing how he could say how much he loves her and that he didn't mean it. But before he could say anything else, she spoke, and her words broke her heart right in two.

"I hope you are happy with her." she gave him one last, heartbroken look, with a tear rolling down her cheek, as she turned and walked through the door and left.

Just when Alistair was about to go after her, Riordan came up and told Alistair to go and talk to Arl Eamon. People were already leaving as Alistair walked away from where he was standing. The large room was almost empty except for hi, Anora, Arl Eamon, Riordan, Loghain's corpse, the leaders from the different armies, and a few others.

Arl Eamon was busy talking to some other people, so Alistair just leaned against a wall nearby.

_Great Andraste! What had he done? He had broken the love of his life's heart, and it was all his fault just because he got angry and spoke without thinking! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_


	2. A Broken Heart

_~Arl of Redcliffe's Estate~_

Eri, Zevran, and Zero finally got into the large estate a couple hours after the Lands Meet. Zevran had his hand on Eri's shoulder, knowing that she is pretty upset. She had tears in her eyes, almost the whole way back. As Eri and her two companions walked through the estate to her room, she noticed that her fellow group mates were not out and about, like they usually were.

When she walked into her room, she saw everyone crowded inside, and when they saw her, they all grew quiet from their conversations and looked at her.

Leliana saw Eri's tears, and got off the bed from where she was sitting, and went over and hugged Eri. Eri broke down in quiet sobs, as Leliana hugged her. Leliana finally let go and Zevran grabbed Eri's waist and led her to the bed, making her sit down.

After getting her a hanker chef, Zevran sat down on the bed next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Everyone noticed that Alistair wasn't with them, so they patiently waited to ask what had happened.

_What had happened back there? How could he do this to me?…To us?_

Eri is finally able to stop the sobs, but the tears keep coming. She is exhausted, for it has been a very long day. She quietly puts her head on Zevran's shoulder, as he rubs her back, trying to comfort her. Eri lets out a sigh as she lets the tears freely run down her cheek.

Zero gets up from where he was laying by the hot fire, and walks up to Eri and gently licks her hand. "Thanks Zero…" Eri mumbles, as she picks her head up off of Zevran's shoulder and sits up.

Leliana and Morrigan exchange looks, knowing that something must have happened if Alistair did not return. Sten stood in the corner, arms crossed, waiting to find out just what had happened at the Lands Meet, and why the young Elf was crying. Oghren sat on a large armchair, with a bottle of rum in hand, passed out. Wynne sat in a chair opposite Oghren, and looked at Eri with worried, concerned eyes.

After several more minute of silence, Eri stood up and faced her companions with tears starting to dry. All eyes, with the exception of Oghren, were turned to her, waiting for a explanation of what had happened at the Lands Meet.

The first to speak for Leliana. "Eri, please tell us what happened.. Where is Alistair?"

Eri sighed as she explained briefly on what had taken place, with help from Zevran who had helped fill in on parts she had either forgotten to mention, or didn't feel like explaining. Once she got to the part about Alistair's outbreak, she just couldn't find the strength to go on. Zevran had to fully takeover telling the events on what had happened, as Eri broke down crying once more.

Once Zevran was done explaining, Leliana was the first to speak up. "Loving Andraste! I am so sorry Eri!" The room stayed quiet as Eri just stared at the ground. She finally said, "I was so in love."

After several more minutes of silence, Morrigan spoke up, "Well, what I believe would do us all good, is rest. I am going to my room. Goodnight." and she left the room.

Sten took a few steps away from the corner, where he was standing and said, "I am sorry for what has happened to you, Warden. But I shall depart to my room as well. 'Night." Eri just nodded to Sten as he turned to leave. Leliana turned to Sten before he left, "Sten," she said in her accent, "will you please take Oghren with you?" Sten just grunted and grabbed Oghren, threw him over his shoulder and walked out.

Wynne got off her chair, got up and walked over to Eri. Wynne gently put her hand on Eri's hands, gave her an apologetic, sad smile, and then walked out.

Eri looked at Leliana and Zevran, her final two friends who remained in the room. She sat back down on the bed next to Zevran who she noticed was being unusually quiet. The three of them, and Zero remained quiet for a few minutes.

Finally, Zevran spoke up and broke the silence that was haunting over them. "Please don't be upset, Eri. Back in Antiva, if you get left by someone, you go to a Tavern, have a couple drinks, and get together with the first person you see! Of course only really desperate people do such a thing but… You get the point. There is always someone else out there."

Eri looked at him and tried to smile but just couldn't find the strength inside her to do it. "Anyways.." said Zevran as he stood up, "I will be a couple rooms down the hall. If anyone needs assassinating, just come and get me. See you in the morn." And with that he left.

After a couple of minutes Leliana left too, and it was just her and Zero. Eri went over to the door and closed it. Once she made sure there were no footsteps in the hall, she took off her armor and set it in a chest near her bed.

She then grabbed a thin, silky nightgown and slipped it on. It was her mother's nightgown. Oh, how she missed her mother. They looked much alike.

_If only you can see me now_, Eri thought to herself,

Eri caught herself fingering the necklace she had specially made. She hasn't taken it off since the day she had it made into a necklace. The chain was long and thin, but it hung down to just above her stomach. The item was a glass vase, enchanted by a mage so that it could not break. And inside the little glass vase was a red, red rose. It was the most beautiful rose, and it was the one Alistair had given her. A mage also enchanted it so that it would be forever preserved.

Remembering the night he had given it to her, brought yet another tear to her eye. She gently wipes it away, as she climbs into the large bed that felt too large, too empty. Alistair had sneaked in here the last couple of nights and stayed with Eri until she fell asleep. And now, she is going to sleep alone. Eri quietly cried herself to sleep.

As soon as her eyes closed, she was in another place, another time. The dream took her back to Redcliffe, the time when Alistair told her he was the rightful heir to the throne, but he didn't want to be king. Then, Anora came out of no where, grabbed Alistair's arm and began pulling him towards a large black hole, with a greedy grin on her face.

They were in Redcliffe, but the scene changed to a really high cliff, with lava far below, and Eri was right on the edge of the cliff. The sky above was dark and it was cold all around. Suddenly, Anora appeared again, grabbed Eri's shoulders and said, "He's mine!" then she pushed Eri off the cliff.

Eri screamed and the next thing she knew was she had jerked herself awake and was sitting up in bed, clutching the thin sheets around her. She was all sweaty and was breathing hard and fast, with tears in her eyes.

She looked over to the hearth and saw that there were just embers left. She must have been asleep for a few hours. Eri wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.

She thinks back to the dream and how she hasn't had a normal nightmare like that, ever since she had gone through the Joining. It was funny how she had nightmares about the Blight and the Arch demon frequently, but they never really freaked her out, unlike how this one did.

She personally couldn't stand Anora, but that doesn't mean that she should be having dreams of Anora throwing her off cliffs and such.

_Is she happy that they are betrothed?_

Suddenly, a soft knock came fro the door. Eri's eyes shoot to the door, then dart around the room, looking for her sword, just in case. Once she spots it, she cautiously says, "Come in." The door creaks open slowly, surely not to wake the others up. Zevran walks in the room and gently closes the door before saying anything.

"Aye, you _are _awake. I heard a slight scream coming from your room just now, when I was on my way back from the dining hall, sneaking food to my room, even though I'm not supposed to. You alright?

Eri sighed as she slid her legs over the side of the bed. She pat the side of her bed, next to her, motioning for Zevran to sit next to her. Zevran sat down and faced Eri, wanting to know why she had screamed.

"I had a nightmare." Eri said simply. "A nightmare?" Zevran asked, "but you always have nightmares. Did you get a whiff of the Arch demon's breath this time or what?" Eri smirked slightly but just shook her head.

"It was a…normal nightmare." Eri explained. "Whoa, so the almighty Grey Warden is not scared of the Blight or the Arch demon, but is scared of something as simple as a common nightmare, which everyone has? Interesting." said Zevran surprised. "Well, I am not your normal person ." Eri said as she looked at Zevran out of the corner of her eye. "True that, true that." said Zevran with a smirk on his face.

He couldn't help but know that with Alistair now out of the picture, that he himself, has a chance to possibly be with his fellow Elf. But now is too soon. He couldn't… wouldn't force her to make a choice to be with him, so soon after Alistair left her. He cares about her too much to put her through that. For now, he will just remain her friend, someone for her to talk to, and confide in.

"You know, back in Antiva-" he began, but not before being interrupted by Eri. "You must miss it. You speak of it often." Zevran smiled, remembering Antiva; the sights, the smells, the scenery.

"Eh, maybe. You would like to come sometime, no?" he asked her. Maybe, just maybe he could take her, and show her his homeland. "Possibly…" she said, "Once the war is over that is."

"Of course."


	3. Friendship

~Three Weeks Later~

Eri and her large group have just returned to Denerim from the Dalish Camp. The Dalish women were complaining of werewolves coming into the camp at night while the soldiers were gone, and stealing food. The women hid inside, not wanting to confront with the werewolves themselves. Eri and her group went to check out what the problem was. It had only turned out to be the bears from the woods stealing the food.

Much to the groups' dismay, they were to head back to Denerim immediately, since the days were wasted for a problem that was very minor.

And now, as the group walks into the gates of the Arl of Redcliff's Estate, their tempers are high, feet sore, and stomachs growling with hunger. Everyone is purely exhausted as they climb the steps leading to the door in the estate. Each step up hurt more than the last.

They had been walking days straight, with only a few hours to sleep every night. Wynne, though the oldest, didn't complain as much as everyone else in the group. Even Zero whined every now and then.

When the group finally made it to the top of the stairs, everyone, including Sten, looked as if they could pass out right there. As Eri lead the way inside, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that rest was just minutes away.

Eri and her companions were welcome to come and go to the Estate whenever they pleased, so everyone departed to their usual rooms as soon as they could.

Eri finally made it to her room and took off her armor but realized that she didn't have any "normal" clothing to put on, except her nightgown, and it was too early in the day to put on her nightgown. Eri put her armor back on, knowing that she was gonna have to lend someone else's clothing

She sat down on the bed and sighed. Leliana, Wynne, and Morrigan were humans, so their clothing would be way too large for her. Elves were quite a bit smaller than humans after all.

She could ask Zevran… he is a bit bigger than her, but still smaller than Leliana, Morrigan and Wynne. But all males in Ferelden always some sort of pants and a separate top, whereas females wear dresses as clothing.

Eri smiled and giggled. She hasn't genuinely done either for awhile now. _How silly I am being, fussing over what I should wear._

Eri got up from where she was sitting and walked over to her door. She opened it and paused. She might as well go to Zevran and ask to borrow some of his clothing. He is closest to her size after all, even if it is men's clothing.

She walked down the hall to Zevran's room, a few doors down the hall, to left of her room. She got to the large wooden door and knocked.

" Tis' open." said the familiar voiced accent. Eri pushed the door open and walked inside. Zevran had taken his armor off, and had put on some pants but didn't have a shirt on. He was busy crouching down and digging through an overflowing chest.

He didn't look at Eri as she shut the door and went and stood behind him. Eri silently watched the light from the flames in the fireplace, dance across his muscular back.

"You need something or simply come to talk?" Zevran asked as he still searched through the full chest.

Eri just stood and watched him as she replied, "Erm… Can i just borrow some clothing? I don't have any at the moment… And what are you searching for in that old chest?"

"Ahaa!" exclaimed Zevran, as he held up a thin white shirt, that looked like it was made out of cotton. "My apologizes, Eri, but I was digging through my chest of clothing, looking for my favorite shirt."

_So that explains why he doesn't have a shirt on, _thought Eri, _he was supposedly looking for it. _

"You said you needed clothing, no?" Eri just nodded and blushed, feeling a bit awkward.

"May I ask why me?" Eri shrugged and said, "You are closest to my size, but if you don't want to I shall just ask Morrig-" "No! Hehe I meant no; tis' fine." Zevran said quickly.

Eri raised an eyebrow as he turned around and started digging through the chest again. He pulled out a pair of pants, a light brown color. He also pulled out a leather belt and handed it to Eri. She took both from him, and hoped that the belt would help with the size difference. Zevran just watched her look at the pants and belt.

"Um, thank you Zevran, but I require a shirt as well." Before Zevran could reply, a knock came from the door. " 'Scuse me sir, but do you have a moment to speak? I am a messenger." said the squeaky voice, coming from

the man who had knocked. "Yeah, yeah," said Zevran as he stood up.

Eri took notice to the tattoo that went down his muscular left side. It was the exact same design as the one that outlined his face.

Zevran opened the door and it revealed a plump man, a little shorter than Eri. "Hello sir. I am looking for an Eri? She's a Grey Warden, I believe… I asked the others down the hall if they knew where she was, and they all said her room, but she is not there.. Do you know where I can find the young miss?"

Before Zevran could reply, Eri walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder and replied, "May I help you?"

The young messenger blushed, seeing how her and Zevran seemed to be sharing a room, and it didn't help that Zevran didn't have a shirt on.

"G'day my lady. I have a letter for you." The messenger handed Eri the letter in the hand she wasn't holding the clothes. Seeing the clothes made the messenger blush even more.

"Oh, thank you." "May the Maker watch over you, my lady." squeaked the messenger. "And you also." replied Eri before she closed the door and walked over to Zevran's bed and sat down. "Open it…" Zevran said as he laid across the bed next to her, on his stomach, so that he was right by her side, where he could read the letter as well.

Before opening it, she looked at the fancy envelope. _Too fancy for just any old letter,_ she thought to herself. The letter was addressed to her.

"Well are you going to open it or not?" asked Zevran anxiously. Eri ignored him and opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, written in a fine writing, on a thick piece of parchment, with a short brief paragraph written. Eri began reading the letter, as Zevran laid on his side next to her and read too.

_Dear Eri of the Grey Wardens, _

_You, as well as your companions, are invited to a feast, a celebration of Loghain's death, and the engagement of King Alistair and Queen Anora. You are a special, and main guest, and would therefore make a speech; whether it be a long or short one is up to you. It is required that all attending guests wear elegant clothing. The celebration will have dancing along with the feast. The event will partaken at Ostagar Castle. The messenger will tell you the day and time this takes place. Maker watch over you._

_Sincerely, Riordan_

Eri read over the letter again and sighed. "Well? Are we going to this_.. _Celebration?" asked Zevran, looking up at her from where he was lying. "I don't have much of a choice… They are expecting me to go. We need to find the messenger to find out when it is.." Eri said as she folded the letter back up and put it back in the envelope.

Zevran sat up, and got off the bed. "I shall go find this messenger before he is too far gone." and with that he walked to the door and opened it. Something on the ground had caught his attention, right outside the door. Zevran leaned over and picked up a small piece of paper with scribbled writing on it. He walked back in the room while reading the paper, and shut the door behind him.

"That was fast." Eri joked. Zevran looked up from the small piece of paper and smiled. "My assassin's skills allow me to catch people in mere seconds!" Eri laughed and held her hand out, waiting for him to give her the paper. He handed her the paper and looked at her, concerned.

"You do know that _he_ will be present as well, correct?" Zevran asked worried. "Yeah… Lately, he has bee haunting my dreams, and whenever I hear his name, I have the sudden urge to run away… But it is my duty to attend, and I shall do what I must." Eri said without looking up from the paper.

It turns out the messenger had left it for her, and it had all the information for when the event was. Zevran sighed and put his hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be alright. Just stick with me, and if anyone bothers you or they say something you do not like, I shall silence them!" Zevran said jokingly with a smile.

Eri just smiled and stared at the ground. "It says here that it will take place in about seven nights from tonight. It starts at sunset.." she said tonelessly. She then stood up and turned to leave.

Zevran got in her way and looked in her eyes, concerned. "You are not alright, I can tell." A tear threatened to fall down her cheek as she threw her arms around Zevran and hugged him tightly.

Surprised by her sudden movement, it took Zevran a few seconds to realized what just happened, as he then put his arms around her and hugged her close. He rested his head on hers, and they just stood like that for a few minutes. He wasn't used to gestures like this, but he grew use to it after a moment or so, liking being so close to her.

Too soon, it seemed, did she let go, thank him for everything and leave. Zevran sighed and laid back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

_Damn, that was a perfect time to tell her how I feel! But she did seem pretty upset to know that she is going to have to see that sorry Alistair.. Maybe this event will give her the closure she needs… _He thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.


	4. Missing You

~Seven Evenings Later~

Alistair was in a large room, one much like a ballroom, with Anora at his side. Oh, how the past month had been torture! He couldn't stand Anora, and every time he looked at her, he saw her terrible father, Loghain, whom he hated with every part of his soul. He hated all the political crap he was pulled into unwillingly, when he craved to be on the battlefield next to his fellow companions, especially Eri.

Not one day has gone by without him thinking about her. In fact, she was constantly in his thoughts, clouding up his mind, rather than him focusing at the task at hand, whatever it may be. The guilt of leaving her hung over him like a dark cloud, constantly following him, always reminding him of the way he spoke rashly and caused himself to lose the one thing he loved above all else.

Much to his dismay, Anora has been looking more and more forward to the wedding each day. He had even overheard some maids saying that Anora is actually starting to like him quite a bit, and is growing accustomed to the idea of being wedded once more. On the other hand, he cannot stand her, and wishes that the wedding would be cancelled. But.. With all of Ferelden expecting them to wed, there is no way he can get out of it, even if he was going to die the day after the wedding.

_The wedding is only days away, _Alistair thought to himself.

Alistair's eyes darted around the room, looking for a sign that Eri has arrived. No one knew if she was going to accept the invitation and arrive later tonight. He wouldn't be surprised if she did show up despite what happened between them. She had a tendency of doing the right thing, even if it meant it caused herself pain in the process. Being in the same room with her will surely make him anxious, but there was about a thousand or so people attending, so his chances of running into her are slim. She probably hates his guts, and it is his fault. When she left after the Lands Meet, it felt as if she took a part of him with her. It feels as if a big hole was ripped through his chest, a part of him feeling empty, gone. But there is nothing he can do about it now. She is too far gone…

Alistair gave one more quick glance around the room before sitting down on his large throne, next to an identical one, where Anora was sitting. She was wearing an expensive, dark purple dress with long sleeves, and

a necklace with the royal family crest engraved on the pendant. Her hair was pulled back into a single bun, with a flower entwined in her hair, and an excited look in her eyes, as she watched the people below. Alistair wore his large, golden armor, fit for a king, It was polished and absolutely spotless.

They were in a very large room, with high ceilings and glass windows along one wall. To the left side of the room were about five very long tables, each table holding about two hundred people. The left wall, by the tables, had a large fireplace, with a fire blazing within. On the mantle was Alistair's royal family crest. On the right half of the room, was a large cleared area, for dancing, and for people to stand around and converse. Throughout the room were large pillars, holding up the ceiling. On each pillar were banisters, each with the same royal family crest as the one on the fireplace. The right wall was mostly glass window, with a glass door, leading out to a large balcony. Where Alistair and Anora are sitting is on a raised platform, and was a couple steps higher than the rest of the room. The entrance to the room was up a couple stairs as well. Since the entrance door was higher up, it was easy to see who was just arriving.

Alistair watched the couple hundred of people already present for a couple minutes. All of a sudden, he heard a man nearby look towards the entrance and speak loudly so people around him could hear, "The Warden! She is here! Wow… what a beauty!" Alistair watched as the word spread throughout the room that she was here. Soon, almost the whole room turned to the entrance, staring at her in awe. Alistair reluctantly followed everyone's gaze and finally saw her. There were a few small chatters, surely talking about _her_.

Alistair stared at her, his mouth agape slightly, taking in her beauty. This was his first time ever seeing her dressed up for a special occasion. She was holding onto Zevran's arm formally. The others were there too, even Zero, but all eyes were on Eri. She didn't seem to feel the eyes as Riordan greeted them.

She wore a flowing, brilliant, white dress, with a golden ribbon tied around her waist. It complimented her slim figure perfectly. The dress was sleeveless, and went up to her neck. Her upper back was bare, and she wore long white gloves, reaching all the way up to her elbows. She was also wearing the necklace with the rose Alistair had given her. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, with a white ribbon entwined in her hair. She had a loose, wavy strand of hair on each side of her slightly blushed cheeks. Her tattoo and her ears were completely visible, and she wore a slightly dark eye shadow, making her blue eyes stand out even more. She looked stunning.

Alistair lost his breath looking at her. Eri and Zevran walked down the stairs, while being lead by Riordan, along with the rest of the group following closely behind.

_Luckily no one knows how me and Eri were together as lovers, so no one will know why I am so nervous… Except our friends, of course…_Alistair thought to himself.

She looked absolutely stunning tonight and everyone that saw her knew it. He tried following her with his anxious eyes, but soon lost her to the thick crowd of people. Conversations soon picked up through the room, and everything was back to normal.

Eri didn't even comprehend what Riordan was talking about, as her eyes searched the room, looking for a sign of _him. _The room was so crowded, it was impossible to see anything but the people closest to you. She was still holding onto Zevran's arm formally.

"Alight, I shall leave you be, and go greet some of the other guests. I shall speak with you again later this evening. You and your companions shall sit at the end of the main table with me, for the feast. For now, enjoy yourselves." Riordan said with a smile, as he set off, lost in the thick crowd before Eri could reply.

"Umm… What did he say before he said he was going to greet other guests?" Eri asked Zevran, hoping he had at least listened to him, unlike her.

"Hmmm.. Yes? I was not listening. His words bored me, so I found myself looking for the most beautiful woman in this room. And let me tell you, there are no women that compare to you." Zevran said with a smile, not quite meeting her eyes.

Eri blushed, not expecting what he had said. "Th-thank you very much, Zevran. You look pretty good yourself." she said, finally meeting his flirtatious, warm eyes.

Zevran smiled but before he could reply, some music started playing, and people around them either grabbed a partner and moved to the larger, emptier place to dance, or crowded around the edges to watch. Since almost everyone was crowded around in one large ring around the dancers, there was more room, where not so many people were standing. Eri and Zevran moved there, immediately followed by Morrigan, Leliana, Wynne, Sten, Oghren, and Zero. They made a small circle of their own, away from the crowd of people, with just the eight of them.

"Why did we even bother attending if we are just going to stand around and stare at each other?" asked Morrigan, annoyed.

"No one said you had to come, Morrigan." Eri said, not wanting to deal with her complaints at the moment. Morrigan just stayed quiet and looked around the room.

When she looked behind Eri, she said, "There is that stupid traitor who just abandoned us." Eri reluctantly turned her head, looked behind her and saw Alistair on his throne next to Anora, a ways away. Eri got a nervous, almost a sick feeling in her stomach, and quickly looked away. Luckily, he was busy talking to some people and didn't see her looking.

"Are you alright, Warden?" asked Sten, in an emotionless tone, seeing as how her nerves were building up inside her.

"Yeah, I think so." replied Eri, staring at the ground, her hand fingering her necklace.

"Don't they have any rum here?" asked Oghren, looking around the room. "Didn't you just have four mugs of rum before we came?" asked Leliana. "Aha! Who wants to bet that the dwarf will pass out tonight, if he can find some rum? I bet five silver." said Zevran amused.

"You guys don't have to stay with me the whole time." said Eri, "Go on and do your own things. Just find me when the feast starts. And please don't start any trouble, any of you." She said, eyeing Oghren and then Morrigan. After a few minutes, everyone went off and did their own thing, until the feast starts.

Soon it was just Eri and Zevran left together, with the company of Zero. "Don't feel like you have to remain at my side the whole time, Zevran. I'm not much fun at these sort of things. Go on and enjoy yourself.." Zevran looked at Eri and laughed a short laugh.

"I doubt anywhere is more fun than staying with you. And we should probably stick together if you want me to stay out of trouble, no? So… shall we walk around?" Eri just smiled as he offered his arm out to her, and she gabbed it yet again.

They walked around, watched Leliana convince both Sten and Oghren to dance with her, talked with some people, and just kept themselves busy. Zero followed them around the whole time.

From her throne, Anora watched everyone. "Why did they bring that filthy, good for nothing mutt? Why did they even let that thing in here-" she complained.

Instantly offended, Alistair said, "Zero… I mean the war hound is just as important as the rest of the group. He has killed more darkspawn than most men do in a lifetime. He is a fierce warrior and deserves to be here, just as much as everyone else." Anora just rolls her eyes and stays quiet. Alistair had been close with the canine on their journeys throughout Ferelden.

One of Anora's maids walked up to Anora and Anora began complaining to her. With nothing better to do, Alistair listened in. "I do not get why that Warden… that _elf_," Anora said with disgust, "is so popular amongst men. I mean, _look_. Every man she walks by is staring at her, and looking her up and down. She is not _that _beautiful. I do _not_ get why an _elf_ is getting so much attention.." Anora said angrily. Her maid was about to reply, when Anora cut her off and continued, not seeming to notice. "And that elf she keeps clinging to! I see all kinds of women looking him up and down too! But neither of them seem to notice all the looks they are getting! I wonder… Do you think they could possibly be lovers?" the maid opened her mouth to speak once more but got cut off once again. "Never mind. Go find someone to do research on both the Warden and that other _elf_ she keeps holding on to. Now off with you." she said waving her hand.

Disgusted with Anora's hate for elves, and hate for Eri in particular, Alistair stopped listening, and quietly kept to himself, and pretended he didn't hear her complaints to the maid, though he was quite infuriated.

But now, watching Zevran and Eri walking around together, her holding onto his arm and them both seeming quite comfortable, made him slowly grow more and more jealous.

He had once asked her about her opinions of their companions, and when he got to Zevran, Eri called him out on being jealous, and he reluctantly admitted it. Now seeing them together like this made him feel sick.

_She couldn't have gotten over me that quickly…Right?_ Alistair thought to himself.

Finally, after what felt a long time, it was time for the feast. Everyone who had attended the celebration sat at one of the five, large tables, each table holding at least two-hundred people. Eri and her companions sat next to the end of the table, with Riordan sitting on the end. Zero lay quietly under the table at Eri's feet. Down the table, at the far end was Alistair and Anora.

Servants were running in and out of the kitchen and dining hall, filling up empty wine glasses, and taking food to the tables for the much awaited feast. There was any kind of food you could imagine, as the cooks put very hard work into perfecting every last dish. Cheerful music played in the background, by a couple of elves in the far corner of the room. People were chattering and having a good time, anxious to get their hands on the food which was laid out before them. The fire in the hearth burned away keeping the room at a comfortable temperature. It was quite a feast for celebration.

After everyone found their seats and was settled, Riordan stood up with his glass of wine, and tapped his knife against it, signaling for the room to be quiet. The room immediately fell silent, as all eyes turned to Riordan. Riordan silently put down the knife and glass of wine, before looking around the room and meeting the people's eyes.

"My fellow people, I am glad to have you all here. It is very rare nowadays to relax, and have a celebration such as his one. This day, we are celebrating the death of Loghain and the soon-to-be marriage of Alistair and Anora." The room broke out into applause as Riordan continued, "We also have my fellow Grey Warden, Eri, here. She will lead us through this war and to victory!" The room was filled with applause and some cheers once more. Riordan motioned for Eri to stand up next to him. The room went quiet, anxiously waiting for Eri to speak. Eri kept self-consciously telling herself to not look down the table to where Alistair was sitting. She focused on meeting everyone's eyes but his.

"People of Ferelden, we must work together to defeat this Blight. I will do all I can to make sure that the Archedemon is slayed, even if my life is lost. Keep the faith that we can win this." Eri could fee _his_ eyes boring into her as she continued her speech, "I have found companions over my journeys through Ferelden. My companions have become friends, close friends, and perhaps more. When I am with them… I feel no fear, whether it be for the darkspawn, or the Archdemon. I find a new hope in them, I could not have found on my own. We all may be different; rogues, mages, warriors, humans, elves, dwarves, assassins…kings." she looked at each of her companions as she spoke each word, and on the last word, she finally met Alistair's eyes, even if only for a split second, "but we are one," she says, meeting the people's eyes once more, "for we all look out for each other, and are in some ways a family. We all want to defeat this Blight. If _we,"_ she said gesturing to her group mates, "can work together, so can Ferelden… and we shall defeat this Blight together!" and with that the rooms erupted into applause and cheers.

Eri sat back down and Riordan gave her an approving nod before standing up and facing the people once more. "There you have it, the Grey Warden, Eri. And now, eat and celebrate!" Riordan sat back down, and the room broke into little side chatters.

Eri knew a lot of people didn't like her because she was an elf. Granted, she knew they were grateful for what she had done, but that didn't change the fact they didn't like elves. Anora was one of them. Anora acted all sweet and nice when other people were around, but when it was just the two of the, Anora acted rude, stuck up, and even mean, to an extent. She had even once over heard Anora talking to a maid complaining how much recognition an elf was getting. Anora also complained and said she didn't understand why Alistair or the others can stay by her side, besides Zevran, that is.

Suddenly, a terrified woman's scream came from the door. Eri instantly snapped out of her day dreaming. There were about thirty men who ran through the door, one of them holding a maid, a knife to her throat. The girl had tears rolling down her cheeks with a terrified look in her large, dark eyes. Each of the men were armed, whether it be with swords, daggers, crossbows, staffs, or other weapons, and they were heavily armored.

"Not one person moves or I shall kill this woman! My men will come around to each and every one of you, and you shall give them all of your valuables. If you do not cooperate, you shall be killed along with this woman. Understand? If any of you try to resist and fight back, you shall be silenced and killed!" spat the man with the knife.

Eri looked around the room and saw that everyone had shocked, scared faces. Eri was completely weaponless, as well as everyone else she could see in the room. She then noticed that right next to her, Riordan had his sword in his sheathe. She quickly looked around once more and saw the men going around the room and collecting valuables from the terrified people. Eri quietly moved her hand closer and closer to Riordan's sword. Riordan was too busy keeping his eyes on the men to notice. It was her nature to not just stand back and let a crime, such as this, just happen. She will protect these people, just as she had promised when she first became a Grey Warden.

Suddenly, Eri jumped up, grabbed the sword, pulled it out of its sheathe, and stabbed one of the closest men, which was only feet away. All the other men watched, shocked, as their companion fell to the ground, soaked in blood. Before the men knew what was happening, Eri ran as fast as she could in a dress, with much difficulty. She quickly stabbed the man holding the maid, before he knew what was going on. All the other men snapped out of their shock and advanced towards Eri, swords raised.

People from the tables screamed and watched helplessly as a battle unfolded before them. Alistair wasn't about to let Eri fight these men by herself. She just won't make it. She was used to battling in a group, with at least three others by her side, not by herself, at least not with this many enemies. Alistair quietly wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword, resting in its sheathe. He jumped up from where he was sitting, sword raised, and running towards Eri to help her fight off these angered men. He finally made it by her side and instantly began battling the men.

The men had a plan and they put it into play. They made one large circle, enclosing Eri and Alistair in the middle. Eri and Alistair were back-to-back, swords raised, ready to fight. Eri new from past battles that if you don't strike a foe at the precise, critical moment, things can go downhill pretty quickly. People watched from the tables, frozen in terror.

One of the men made the first move, stepping forward, and attempting a stab at Eri with his dagger, as the other men followed suit. Eri naturally blocked the attack, and sent the man tumbling back into his fellow ally. Alistair countered the oncoming attacks, and stabbed the men whenever the opportunity presented itself. Alistair and Eri defended and attacked quickly, still backed up against each other.

Women from the tables could be heard in the back ground, screaming whenever a man fell down, dead. Eri didn't even have to think about what she was doing; it all came naturally.

Several men attacked her at once, as she frantically swung and blocked attacks with her sword. A bead of sweat was on her brow, caused by the non-stop battling of the men who wanted her dead. Alistair had her back side covered, so she didn't have to worry about being attacked from behind.

The men were becoming overwhelming for just Eri and Alistair to handle alone. A loud bark echoed throughout the room, as Zero ran forward and joined the fight. Now it was three against about eighteen.

Eri blocked yet another swing from one of the men attacking her, as she knocked him down. He fell back with a _thud_, taking some of his allies down with him. That gave Eri a few extra seconds to help Alistair. She swiftly turned around, stabbed one of the men Alistair was fending off, and slashed another. Eri quickly turned back around, to her regular position, with her back against Alistair's, and slashed one of the men she had just seconds before, knocked over.

He fell to the ground in his own pile of blood. The man next to him looked down at the lifeless body, scared. He was quite young compared to the other men in the group, Eri observed. He gave Eri a scared look, before dropping his sword and shield, and bolting for the door.

After watching the young man run for what was only milliseconds, she felt someone run into her side, pushing her down to the ground. She fell, hitting her head hard, a throbbing pain on the back of her head, as she felt a warm stickiness running down her head and neck. Eri quickly looked around her, her vision slightly fuzzying and laid on her back still, and searched around, looking for her sword, for she had dropped it.

A shadow fell upon her face, as she looked up at the man that had pushed her down. He stood directly above her, sword raised over his head, ready to strike with an evil grin. After that, everything seemed to happen so fast.

"Eri!" she heard Alistair yell, before literally running into the man, which knocked him back, and sent his sword flying straight up in the air and piercing Eri's side. Eri couldn't even comprehend what was happening, as everything seemed as if it was in fast forward.

She watched Alistair slash the man repeatedly from the ground. The sword sticking up out of her side had blood pouring out of the wound, as if a small waterfall of red. She heard Zero in the background fighting the last of the men, and she barely heard Zevran yell her name from somewhere in the distance. Everything was slowly fading and she could vaguely hear Alistair's voice, as if through glass, as he slashed the man whose sword was now in her.

"_No one_ touches her! You shall burn in hell for hurting her, you bastard!" Eri's vision started becoming fuzzy as she saw the man fall to the ground and Alistair run over to her. He threw his sword aside and put her on his lap, holding her in his arms, one arm wrapped around her back, his other arm caressing her cheek. She was barely conscious.

"_Eri! Stay with me! Don't go! Oh Maker! Please don't go…" _and then, everything went black.


End file.
